Coil spring support wire structure



Nov. 28, 1967 E. PAWLIKOWSKI 3,355,161 I COIL SPRING SUPPORT WIRE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 6, 1966 INVENTOR EDWARD PAW]. IKOWS/(l ATTORN S United States Patent 3,355,161 COIL SPRING SUPPORT WIRE STRUCTURE Edward Pawlikowski, Argo, 111., assignor to Rockwell- Standard Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 577,464 7 Claims. (Cl. 267-400) This invention relates to seat assemblies and more in particular to a coil spring deck and the bottom support for the coil springs.

In the invention an arrangement is provided to support a row of coil springs upon a single cross wire support looped at appropriately spaced regions in such way as to provide a special attachment for the lowermost coil of each individual coil spring, by which a four point sup port is provided to support each coil spring in an upright position in the seat assembly.

In most known coil spring seat cushions, the coil springs are supported on wires or rods spanning the seat frame crosswise. The springs are usually attached to the support wires at the crossing points of these wires in an effort to support the lowermost coil of each coil spring at four points around its circumference to insure a secure upright position of the coil springs. To prevent displacement of the coil springs relative to the support wire, the springs are usually attached to these support wires by added clips that must be manually attached.

The invention provides an improved and highly advantageous coil spring support arrangement by which one row of support wires and all attaching clips hitherto considered necessary are eliminated, thus reducing cost and weight of the seat cushion as well as facilitating the assembly.

Accordingly, it is a main object of the invention to provide an improved coil spring support wire structure for a seat cushion assembly wherein support wires of novel construction are formed with integral atatching means for the lowermost coil of each coil spring and are so constructed that the coil spring may be securely fastened on the support wire without the need for attaching clips. An attendant object is improved support wire structure wherein the coil springs are secured in proper vertical position and prevented from shifting laterally along the support wire.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel seat Spring construction wherein a row of coil springs is supported upright on a single wire integrally formed at spaced locations with novel coil anchor loops.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a coil spring support wire structure in a seat assembly wherein the wire is formed integrally at the lower end of each coil spring with a laterally extending loop having legs of special construction enabling the lowermost coil of the spring to be interlocked with the loop and adjacent sections of the wire to produce a novel four point support for the coil on the wire.

The distinct novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent as the following detailed description proceeds in connection with the appended drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmenary top plan view illustrating part of a coil spring seat cushion according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the coil spring and support wire assembly structure;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the parts shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation in section substantially along line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

Patented Nov. 28, 1967 FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating an alternate shape of one part of the support wire.

FIGURE 1 shows part of a coil spring seat cushion with the upholstery and other elements removed from the tops of the coil springs for better illustration of the invention. A number of coil springs 10 are attached to and supported by a spaced number of generally parallel support wires 12 which in the usual manner extend across the seat frame to be connected at their ends to opposite frame side members (not shown). The top coils 14 of the outer rows of coil springs 10 may be attached as by clips 16 to a relatively rigid top border wire 18 which extends all around the frame as is common practice. The other top coils of springs 10 may be individually connected to each other by wire rods or the like (not shown) as is known in the art.

As shown in FIGURE 1, support wires 12 are at certain intervals, corresponding to the spacing between the coil springs 10, provided with coil anchor portions 20 which are preferably U-shaped loops extending at right angles laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire. These looped portions 20 are preferably formed by bending first and second legs 22 and 24 at right angles away from the support wire with both legs integrally connected by a cross bar 26 at right angles to the legs. Legs 22 and 24 are thus parallel and bar 26 is parallel to support Wire 12. If desired, the cross bar connecting legs 222 and 24 may be rounded as shown 28 in FIGURE 5. The shape of the bridge bar, straight or round, is immaterial to the present invention.

The lower coils 29 of springs 10 are smaller in diameter than the top coils and lie in a plane normal to the coil axis, and the axes of coil springs 10 are substantially vertical in the assembly.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, loop leg 22 is bent upwardly out of the plane of the adjacent straight section 13 of support wire 12 and then again downwardly towards cross bar 26 so as to provide an intermediate downwardly open socket bend 30 substantially at the center of the leg 22. Similarly leg 24 is likewise bent downwardly out of the plane of the adjacent straight section 15 of the support wire and then upwardly to provide an upwardly open socket bend 32.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the portions of support wire 12 immediately adjacent legs 22 and 24 of the U-shaped loops 2'!) are displaced vertically, that is, their axes, although still lying in a common vertical plane, are on different horizontal planes. Between the successive loops the sections of wire 12 are inclined downwardly from the level 15 of FIGURE 4 to the level 13 of FIGURE 4. The cross bar 26 lies in a horizontal plane about midway between the axes of wire sections 13 and 15 at the loop 20. This displaced level of the support wire sections allows one portion of the generally horizontal bottom coil 29 of coil spring 10 to pass underneath the upper straight section 15 of the support wire, as illustrated at A in FIG- URE 2, and the diametrically opposite portion of this bottom coil 29 to pass over the lower straight section 13 at the other side of the loop as shown at B in FIGURE 2. Coil 29 passes under socket 30 at one side and over socket 32 at the other side, whereby it has a four point contact substantially in a horizontal plane with the support Wire 12, and this assures proper vertical positioning of the coil spring 10.

The end 36 of each bottom coil 29 is preferably crimped at 38 to snap over lower straight wire portion 13 to lock the spring in place after assembly.

Assembly of each coil spring 10 to the support wire 12 proceeds in the following manner. The end 36 of bottom coil 29 is threaded underneath and in contact with the upper straight portion 15 of support wire 12 adjacent the loop 20. Coil spring 10 is then rotated clockwise (FIG- URE 2) thereby automatically threading end 36 through U shaped loop 29 by passing into and through socket 32 at the upper side of leg 24 and into and through socket 30 at the lower side of opposite leg 24. The bottom coil 29 thus moves in essentially a horizontal plane during this rotation. Further rotation of the coil spring advances end 36 of the bottom coil 29 over the top of lower straight portion 13 of the support wire at the other side of the looped portion 20. The coil spring is then locked in place by the snapping of crimp 38 into place as it passes over support wire 12.

Thus, a unique four point coil spring support is provided for each coil spring 10 in a row by a single suitably formed wire, and the support is self-locking to eliminate the need for separate fastener clips. The bottom coil of each spring 10 is supported from below at socket 32 and on wire section 13, and it is supported from above on socket 3t and on wire section 15, so that the coil spring cannot be separated from wire 12. The novel construction of the looped portion of the support wire also assures proper vertical positioning of the coil springs and prevents them from being displaced along the support \VIIC.

The present invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristic thereof, therefore, the present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative only and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. A seat spring assembly comprising a frame having a plurality of generally parallel coil spring support wires extending from end to end, and a series of coil spring anchor loops formed along each wire, each of said loops bridging adjacent straight wire sections disposed at different levels and being formed with sockets for interlocking engagement with the bottom coil of the associated spring.

2. A support wire for a seat spring assembly comprising an integral loop having side -legs extending laterally from non-aligned upper and lower straight sections of said wire with the leg ends connected by a cross bar, and means forming upwardly and downwardly open sockets in the respective legs, said sockets and opposite upper and lower surfaces of said straight sections providing a four point interlock seat for the lower coil of a coil spring for mounting the spring upright in the assembly, the upwardly open socket being in the leg nearest the upper straight wire section. 1

3. In the support wire defined in claim 2, said sockets being oppositely bent intermediate portions of the respective loop legs disposed in substantial alignment for receiving the lower coil of the Spring.

4-. In the support wire defined in claim 2, said legs extending in the same direction in generally parallel relation from said wire, and said straight sections lying in a common vertical plane.

5. In the support wire defined in claim 2, said cross bar lying in a horizontal plane about midway between the axes of said non-aligned straight sections at each loop.

6. In combination with the support wire defined in claim 2, a coil spring, the lower coil of said spring passing in succession under the straight wire section at one side of the loop, through the upwardly open socket in the adjacent loop leg, through the downwardly open socket in the other loop leg, and over the other straight wire section.

7. In the combination defined in claim 6, means forming the terminal of said lower coil to snap onto said other straight wire section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 533,693 2/1895 Williamson 267 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SEAT SPRING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY PARALLEL COIL SPRING SUPPORT WIRES EXTENDING FROM END TO END, AND A SERIES OF COIL SPRING ANCHOR LOOPS FORMED ALONG EACH WIRE, EACH OF SAID LOOPS BRIDGING ADJACENT STRAIGHT WIRE SECTIONS DISPOSED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND BEING FORMED WITH SOCKETS FOR INTERLOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM COIL OF THE ASSOCIATED SPRING. 